Night-night

Naps are great, but bedtime I can do without. Lately I can't decide whether I want to skip my afternoon nap and go to bed at 7:30 or take the nap and stay up til 10:00. Mom and Dad are still up having fun so why should I have to leave the party early? Sometimes I am so tired that I have to play laying down. But I'm still playing!

I like to climb

Yes I do.

Happy Birthday Abby

This weekend Abby turned 6. Wow, that is so old. To celebrate we went camping! My first trip ever. Some of the highlights were getting really dirty crawling in the dirt and grass, watching Abby catch the Frisbee, eating sausages for breakfast, yelling really loud so the other campers could hear me, and watching dad and mom put up the tent. At night it was really dark even though daddy built a huge fire. I got to take a nap on the air mattress, which is 100 times better than my pack and play. So, when I woke up in the middle of the night I cried and cried until they let me sleep on the air mattress with them. It was great.

Abby tricks

Abby has taught me so many things. One move that I definitely like is begging. Even if I just stuffed myself with lunch, I still need a bite of your food. In fact I believe that other people's food tastes better than my own. So I don't want to miss out. Begging is very effective. Thanks Abby!

Oh yeah, I'm walking

Mommy and Daddy left me with Aunt Ali for a couple of days. As a welcome home present I've greatly improved my walking skills. I can consistently take 5-6 steps across the room. The new game is playing catch with me as the ball! Here's a silent video of me taking a couple of steps. I'll do better for the camera next time.

Ali's babysitting brainwashing

Here is Cole practicing his CHOMP!

Here is Cole practicing his Go Gators!

But seriously everything is going great, Cole is being such a wonderful boy. We have had great play sessions, singing & dancing, going on walks, swimming at the pool and lots of food! I am sure he misses his mom and dad, but really he misses Abby most. Any time he sees an animal in a book or on a walk he starts saying Abby, Abby, Abby!! Well his 2nd nap of the day should be ending soon, back to play!

Joe Cool

Spoon... mouth... spoon...mouth

I'm getting the hang of it. Mmmmm yogurt.

Told ya

It may have taken all week, but I figured it out. Open says me!

In other news... at school today I took two steps all on my own and I did it again for mommy when I got home. I'm waiting for just the right moment to show daddy. Until then I will dramatically collapse whenever they try to get me to walk. I love to put on a good show.

Teachers

I spend a lot of time at school. I love my friends, the toys, my teachers, and everything about it. It is nice to eat lunch with other kids my age. They give me lots of tips for becoming more independent. My teachers are Danielle and Destany. They give me lots of hugs and attention everyday.

Mommy love

Months ago I mentioned my mommy addiction. Well I have to get honest and say that it is getting worse not better. I can't help it... if she is nearby I have to touch her and hug her and love her or lay on her head (see photo below). I'm not sure why but she is irresistible. I hope daddy doesn't take it personally. I love him too, but I just neeeeeeeddddd mommy.

1 year photo slideshow

I made a photo slideshow for Cole's 1st birthday. It ended up being a huge project that had to be broken into 2 parts in order to upload onto youtube (even split into 2 I couldn't get it on yahoo which limits size even further) I hope you enjoy them. You can watch it directly from this site (but I would keep it small) or you can use the link to youtube and right under the video it says "view in higher quality". If you click that you can make it full screen and enjoy! It is pretty long, but Cole is just so darn cute I couldn't cut anything. Make sure you have sound on also.

Part 1 - link to youtube for higher quality
or watch it in compressed quality below



Part 2 - link to youtube for higher quality
or watch it in compressed quality below

Bye-Bye Nana

Nana left me today after days of playing with toys and books, going to parks and the pool, and of course having birthday parties. I cried when she left me and decided that to show my displeasure I would give myself double ear infections. I'm not sure if this was a wise choice, but hey I'm only one years old!

When I grow up

I want to be just like Daddy.

Birthday Video

There are also several "new" videos on the link to the right.

To be one years old...

It is hard to imagine that one year ago I came into this amazing world. No really, I can't imagine it. I was just a baby then... now I'm a toddler! I have accomplished many, many things this year. Here are some of my latest highlights:

• I can say uh-oh, Abby, bye, baby, ball, and mama


• I can sing "row, row, row", still working on "your boat"


• I can climb up and down several flights of stairs all by myself


• I can stand on my own briefly and walk holding mom or dad's hand


• I can feed myself with my hands or with a spoon

My favorite things to do are reading my books, throwing balls, playing with mommy's hair, chasing Abby, splashing in the pool, tasting things I touch with my finger, and playing with my little friends at school.

Presents

Happy Birthday to me. I've got presents!!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for my very own rocker. I can climb in... out is another story.

Thanks Mommy for my activity table. I get so many phone calls!

Thanks Daddy for my dump truck. Now I can help you work on our new patio.Thanks Anna, Noah and Nina! I can close the doors... opening them will be my goal for this week.

Birthday Party

Happy Birthday to me! I am one years old now and to celebrate we had a great big party! Mommy, Daddy, Abby, Nana, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Ali and Uncle Dan were all there to lavish me with love and attention... and presents! Thanks to everyone near and far who sent me toys, clothes and money. Birthday parties are fabulous, I highly recommend them.

In

I like to put things in boxes, bins, buckets, and of course my mouth. I figured out how to get in my car and now I can get in the oven drawer! In is good.

Driving

On vacation I finally learned how to drive my car while sitting on it. This is almost as much fun as pushing it while walking. My car has a cool seat for hiding toys and today I figured out how to climb inside of it! Too bad I can't put the seat down.

The Beach!

As promised, we are back from the beach. Mom, Dad, Abby and I met Grandma and Grandpa in a far away place called Nags Head. You have to sit in your carseat for two days to get there, but it is worth it. We spent every day playing in the biggest sandbox I have ever seen. It was very windy and there was lots of salty water to splash in. The sand did not taste very good, but that didn't stop me from eating it every day. We also swam in the pool a lot, which I'm already a pro at, and just goofed off all day long.

Here's me all dressed up for my first trip to the ocean!

Mommy and daddy spread out lots of blankets for me to throw sand on and I did not disappoint.

Daddy made me my own little pool to play in on the beach! I learned that wet sand tastes just as bad as the dry stuff.

Every morning dolphins came to visit me. They were so far away I had to use daddy's binoculars to see them.

It was a terrific week. I had so much fun playing all day with everyone. I even made sure to wake up extra early everyday just so that we could maximize our time together. I was a little surprised that no one else seemed ready to play at 5:30 a.m.